---
type: concept
title: "Abaqus Geomaterial and Concrete Plasticity"
complexity: advanced
domain: computational-mechanics
created: 2026-06-01
updated: 2026-06-02
address: c-000097
aliases:
  - Abaqus Drucker-Prager plasticity
  - Abaqus cap plasticity
  - Abaqus Mohr-Coulomb plasticity
  - Abaqus clay plasticity
  - Abaqus concrete plasticity
tags:
  - concept
  - finite-element-method
  - abaqus
  - plasticity
  - geomaterials
  - concrete
status: current
related:
  - "[[Abaqus-Analysis-User-s-Guide-Volume-III|Abaqus Analysis User's Guide Volume III]]"
  - "[[Abaqus Metal Plasticity Models]]"
  - "[[Abaqus Porous Media and Pore Fluid Materials]]"
  - "[[Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis]]"
  - "[[Mixed Finite Element Formulations]]"
  - "[[Finite Element Plasticity]]"
  - "[[Plasticity Yield Criteria]]"
  - "[[Plastic Flow Rules and Hardening]]"
sources:
  - "[[Abaqus-Analysis-User-s-Guide-Volume-III|Abaqus Analysis User's Guide Volume III]]"
  - "[[Finite-Elements-in-Plasticity-Theory-and-Practice|Finite Elements in Plasticity: Theory and Practice]]"
source_refs:
  - source: "[[Abaqus-Analysis-User-s-Guide-Volume-III|Abaqus Analysis User's Guide Volume III]]"
    raw_path: ".raw/AbaqusAnalysisUserGuide3/"
    raw_files:
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      - "AbaqusAnalysisUserGuide3_038.md"
      - "AbaqusAnalysisUserGuide3_037.md"
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    md_indices:
      - 36
      - 38
      - 37
      - 39
    match: "heuristic-heading-keyword"
    confidence: high
  - source: "[[Finite-Elements-in-Plasticity-Theory-and-Practice|Finite Elements in Plasticity: Theory and Practice]]"
    raw_path: ".raw/FiniteElementsinPlasticityTheoryandPractice/"
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---

# Abaqus Geomaterial and Concrete Plasticity

## Definition

Abaqus geomaterial and concrete plasticity models describe pressure-dependent inelastic response, compaction, dilatancy, cracking, crushing, and stiffness degradation for soils, rocks, foams, jointed materials, and concrete-like media.

## How It Works

The source separates these models from ordinary metal plasticity because hydrostatic pressure can strongly influence yielding and volume change. Extended Drucker-Prager models represent pressure-dependent materials such as granular materials and polymers. Modified Drucker-Prager/Cap models add a cap yield surface to control volumetric compaction. Mohr-Coulomb and critical-state clay models support geotechnical applications with pressure and invariant-dependent yield behavior.

Crushable foam models target energy-absorbing foams and similar crushable media. Jointed material behavior represents continua containing dense sets of joint surfaces, such as sedimentary rock. Concrete is represented by multiple models: smeared cracking in Abaqus/Standard, brittle cracking in Abaqus/Explicit, and concrete damaged plasticity in both solvers.

[[Finite-Elements-in-Plasticity-Theory-and-Practice|Finite Elements in Plasticity: Theory and Practice]] provides the classical finite element plasticity context for this page's pressure-dependent models. It treats Mohr-Coulomb and Drucker-Prager criteria alongside metal-style criteria and highlights the role of non-associated flow rules for frictional materials.

## Why It Matters

These materials cannot usually be modeled by metal-style pressure-insensitive plasticity. They require pressure-dependent yield surfaces, inelastic volumetric strain, tensile cracking, crushing, or damage recovery effects that are tied to element choice, confinement, and loading path.

## Connections

- [[Mixed Finite Element Formulations]] are relevant when volumetric locking or pressure-like fields dominate the response.
- [[Abaqus Porous Media and Pore Fluid Materials]] extends geomaterial modeling to pore-fluid flow and saturation effects.
- [[Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis]] supplies the global iteration framework for pressure-dependent plasticity and concrete damage.
- [[Plasticity Yield Criteria]] separates pressure-dependent Mohr-Coulomb and Drucker-Prager behavior from pressure-insensitive metal plasticity.

## Sources

- [[Abaqus-Analysis-User-s-Guide-Volume-III|Abaqus Analysis User's Guide Volume III]]
- [[Finite-Elements-in-Plasticity-Theory-and-Practice|Finite Elements in Plasticity: Theory and Practice]]